• President said leadership is not about how one grew up, their tribe, race or where they came from, but what they want to and can do.
•He said the narrative about dynasty vs hustler is irrelevant.
Image: FILE
President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday dismissed the dynasty-versus-hustler narrative often advanced by his deputy's allies.
Uhuru deconstructed the narrative that Deputy President William Ruto deserves to take the reins of power because he comes from a peasant background and had hustled his way to power through hard work.
He spoke during the 41st memorial of his father, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the founding father of the Kenyan nation.
"When you hear people talk out there saying huyu mutu fulani ni dynasty, sijui dynasty hii...it's [leadership] not about that.." he said.
Politicians coalescing around the DP claim that powerful families have been regrouping to deny his principal assistant a chance to lead the county.
Leadership, the President stated, is about achievement.
The families in the dynasty category include Jaramogi Odinga's whose face is Raila Odinga, Daniel Moi's whose leading scion is Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, Moses Mudavadi's whose face is Musalia Mudavadi and Jomo Kenyatta's now headed by Uhuru.
Ruto subtly talked of the dynasties vs hustlers in his speech during this year's edition of the national prayer breakfast at Safari Park Hotel. He narrated how he had worked hard, hailing from a poor background, to "now sit on one table with the son of the founding president."
He talked of herding cows barefoot and his father only managing to buy him "shoes worth Sh60 from one Onyango in the streets because he [his father] could not afford Bata shoes."
Observers say that in this and subsequent speeches he belabours this line, manifestly distinguishing himself from Uhuru – that his is a background of hardship and lack, while Uhuru grew up in royalty and privilege.
Yesterday, Uhuru paid him back in full, saying leadership must be inspired by one's desire to change the lives of people by way of their policies and solutions, not on one's background.
"Leadership is not about where you were born,....where you come from...your skin colour.. your tribe," he said.
"It [leadership] is about the desire to do good to make a difference in the lives of people and anybody can do that," the President stated.
He also took issue with those spewing incitement rhetoric with the potential to cause mayhem in the country.
Nandi senator Samwel Cherargei was arrested on Tuesday for saying that they (Ruto allies) were profiling people opposed to the presidential ambitions of the DP. He said that they will deal with them later.
He was released on bond.
Raila was the first to confront the dynasty vs hustlers' narrative in February this year. He told mourners during Jane Kiano's burial service at St Francis ACK church in Karen that his father and Uhuru's father were 'paupers' who worked hard and rose to prominence.
He dismissed the tag of 'princes' given to them by their detractors.
"Jomo Kenyatta was the son of a pauper. He struggled [and] was detained by the colonialists for all those years. Because of that, you cannot say Uhuru is part of a dynasty.
"Odinga, son of Raila, was just a pauper. You would say he was just a hustler. You cannot, therefore, say that Raila is a product of a dynasty," he said, insisting that they should be judged individually.
(Edited by V. Graham)